What Makes a Great Erotica Story?

[LadyVer]

I'm curious. I'm writing my first story. It's M-F. The couple haven't known each other that long. They're around 50. I have some ideas, but I would like some serious opinions as to what makes a good erotica story. I know what I like, but I want other perspectives. I wasn't sure what forum to put this question in, but Story Ideas seemed the best...

 

[HeyAll]

A good horror movie is one that makes you scared.

A good comedy movie is one that makes you laugh.

Erotica is the same thing. People read erotic stories because they want to read a fantasy and they want their buttons pushed. For instance, a lot of people have an office fantasy. There isn't really anything on tv or porn which can satisfy that in a realistic way, so people turn to erotic stories for those needs. Same goes for any other fantasy.

So to answer your question in terms of a first story, you want to give the readers something they can't get anywhere else (especially real life). Give them a glimpse into the lives of your characters, and make it sexy.

Short answer: Push the readers buttons!

good luck!

 

[LadyVer]

Thanks, HeyAll!

 

[Totzman]

I would say it should have plenty or erotic detail, but it should also be an interesting story. Ask yourself how interesting the story would be if you took all of the erotic parts out? Make sure you still have some interesting characters and a good plot, and once you put the erotic parts in, your story will be a lot more fun to read.

 

[jeninflorida]

I'm curious. I'm writing my first story. It's M-F. The couple haven't known each other that long. They're around 50. I have some ideas, but I would like some serious opinions as to what makes a good erotica story. I know what I like, but I want other perspectives. I wasn't sure what forum to put this question in, but Story Ideas seemed the best...

Okay...what makes for a great story? What gets you into the mood?

Suggestions:
Turn off the tv and find music that puts you there....
A glass of wine or something to relax and forget the days business

Are you a day or night person?
When can you find you time (not sure if you have kids but when can you block out a couple hours with out interruptions?)

Write that first word
write that first sentence
write that first paragraph

Worry about grammer at a latet time! Just start!

For longer stories, plot the story out first

So many people want to write but so few start

 

[hylas_]

I'd say, a good erotica story is an honest expression of the author's sexuality, but not a self-indulgent wank-fantasy. The former makes me feel like I've seen a glimps of the author's soul. The latter makes me feel like I'm watching someone unattractive masturbate.

 

[JackLuis]

I think titillation is good for a fun story. Let them 'all most' do it a few times before the climax begins.

Lit stories tend to be more porno, than erotic. I know mine are.

For a really good score, add three participants, or more in the story, (sisters/brothers, lodge mates, sorority sisters,etc.) make it believable and play out your fantasies.

Ignore the grammar Nazis and have fun.

 

[lovecraft68]

Totally subjective, no right or wrong answers on this.

I write my stuff as it comes to me and just hope people like it later on. I don't ever start with "What will work, or not"

Just let it fly.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

Characters, setting, plot, and hot sex.

Characters your reader can related to. That they want to see good things happen to. You should receive comments from your readers begging for more about your characters. When I wrote the Last Boy Scout, I was astounded by the number of comments and emails I got, not only asking for a continuation, but giving me hell for not letting the childhood friends hookup. Most of the continuation requests were for that particular scenario. They could relate to the characters, and wanted more for them.

Fun settings, descriptive, that set a mood help a lot. Explore all the senses. Stories that occur in a vacuum have thrown away a large part of their appeal. For instance, I love stories that expose other cultures in ways that are both educational and surprising. WinterFrog writes stories that occur in Scandinavia. He writes in the Loving Wives category, but the marriage and family culture is so different there, that each of his stories are like peeking through a window into a different world. When I see a foreign setting, I want to feel like I'm a visiting tourist, seeing new things for the first time.

Plot matters. Most readers want to see the slow development of the key relationships. Pursuit and capture. Hurdles along the way. Near failure, miraculous success. Everyone feels good by the time it's done. It doesn't have to be horribly complex, it just has to exist.

Write about sex. Incredible, hot sex that pushes the boundaries of reality. It's fantasy they come here for. Not reality. Hot situations, bordering on the fetish (and beyond). Aggression, submission, chance of getting caught, complete devotion, pushing boundaries into the uncomfortable but willing. These are just some of the ideas.

My $.02

 

[StrangeLife]

It's kinda like asking, what makes a joke funny...


To me the quality of a story is determined by it's credibility before everything else. This isn't the same as realism - a story with vampires and centaurs can be perfectly credible - but it must stay within it's premise. Otherwise I can't immerse myself in the tale and then it doesn't work for me.

Examples? Well...

A common mistake here on Lit is the guy with 16 inch penile power and the girl with a set of 103 DDD's - both of which of course can orgasm 50 times a day. Some might find this enticing but for me such a blatant violation of the laws of human biology is a deal-breaker.

Another deal-breaker for me is a character acting in ways inconsistent with his or her personality or changing his/her personality 180 degrees overnight. Making the characters act in illogical ways in order to force the plot in a certain direction destroys the credibility.

 

[HeyAll]

Another thing that I find makes a great erotic story is showing the reader where the "line" is, and then cross that line.

If you're making an exhibitionist story, have the lead character be a little nervous about it, and a little reluctant. Then at the end, the character embraces the joys of public nudity.

If it's incest, keep reminding the reader that it's wrong. Let the characters be reluctant in some way and use dialogue to express that. You know what happens in the end...

There's gotta be some build up to it. If not, have some sort of dilemma which sets the chain of events in motion.

 

[LadyVer]

Thanks for the great feedback, everyone. Someone told me not to write a novel and x number of pages before any sex scenes. I understand where this is coming from, but on the other hand ,when I read an erotica story, there's got to be some plot and character development, or it's just one more fuck and suck porn story, which gets old fast.

 

[JackLuis]

Here's a bunny for you.
"Engagement Rings Are Hardly Romantic -- Sparkly Rocks Are a Reminder of a Time When Women Were Property"

Say, three women friend's have different limits to their negotiable affection? Explore the possibilities.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

It's kinda like asking, what makes a joke funny...


To me the quality of a story is determined by it's credibility before everything else. This isn't the same as realism - a story with vampires and centaurs can be perfectly credible - but it must stay within it's premise. Otherwise I can't immerse myself in the tale and then it doesn't work for me.

Examples? Well...

A common mistake here on Lit is the guy with 16 inch penile power and the girl with a set of 103 DDD's - both of which of course can orgasm 50 times a day. Some might find this enticing but for me such a blatant violation of the laws of human biology is a deal-breaker.

Another deal-breaker for me is a character acting in ways inconsistent with his or her personality or changing his/her personality 180 degrees overnight. Making the characters act in illogical ways in order to force the plot in a certain direction destroys the credibility.

I read the absolute best today. It wins The Best Prize for eternity.

The book is CASSIDYS GIRL by David Goodis.

Cassidy is married to a woman who cucks him every day and twice on Sunday. But he's not your regular pathetic cuck you find at LW. Cassidy gets tired of it and moves in with a young woman named Doris. Mildred, the wife, goes apeshit and wants her husband back.

But Cassidy gets in serious trouble and has to flee to Africa. So a close friend arranges passage on a freighter for Cassidy and Doris. So Cassidys in their room waiting, licking his chops, gonna spend the voyage in Doris' arms, and hears a female walking in the hall. The door opens, and its his wife.

 

[LadyVer]

I could have sworn I put this thread in Story Ideas. Maybe the mod moved it? Not that I care. Maybe AH was the better forum for it.

I'm not a fan of cuck stories, Jim, but the book sounds like it has an interesting plot.

 

[Luvtowriteerotica]

Really?

I read the absolute best today. It wins The Best Prize for eternity.

The book is CASSIDYS GIRL by David Goodis. David Goodlls? Really?
Cassidy is married to a woman who cucks him every day and twice on Sunday. But he's not your regular pathetic cuck you find at LW. Cassidy gets tired of it and moves in with a young woman named Doris. Mildred, the wife, goes apeshit and wants her husband back.

But Cassidy gets in serious trouble and has to flee to Africa. So a close friend arranges passage on a freighter for Cassidy and Doris. So Cassidys in their room waiting, licking his chops, gonna spend the voyage in Doris' arms, and hears a female walking in the hall. The door opens, and its his wife.

My Visit With My Grandparents
Luv2writeerotica

It was hot. So hot. And sticky-humid. Those were my overriding memories on that late Sunday afternoon shortly after my eighteenth birthday. It left me questioning why anybody, anybody at all in their right minds, would even live on the Florida coast.

I was absolutely miserable as I sat on the couch sweating.

"Feels better with the fan," my grandpa offered, patting his lap in an enticing manner.

My eyes looked longingly at the large box fan which was placed on a countertop of an adjoining open-aired kitchen which he was enjoying. It took me a few moments until I relented and sat down on the recliner he sat in on his left side. Due to the heat I was dressed as scantily as I could, in tiny white short-shorts and a thin red blouse tied off that left my flat midriff exposed, the perky, naturally firm swells of my breasts just barely covered behind the thin veil of cotton. Both pink nipples were partially visible.

The breeze offered by the fan felt wonderful and my body immediately relaxed. I was so hot and coated with sweat that it actually chilled me; my nipples grew large and taut, pulsating with every beat of my young heart. I didn't know it at the time but my grandpa noticed and enjoyed the erotic sight. I was innocent at first and didn't understand the shifting hardness that I was sitting on.

"Oh dear, you look so uncomfortable!" my grandma stated when she saw my overheated condition as she brought in a large glass of iced lemonade.

After handing her husband the glass, which he took a deep drink from, she kept looking down at me. "I know you northerners aren't accustomed to the Florida heat. It takes some time to grow on you. Here, let me help you with that," she insisted as she observed my sweaty, reddened face.

I was aghast when her thin fingers reached for my blouse and made quick work of the buttons, then untied the knot at the bottom.

"Don't worry, we're all family here," my grandma insisted when I resisted a few times. "Off with it. You'll be cooler this way."

Then she unplugged the fan, placed it on top of the TV console we were watching, and plugged it back in. The blast of air felt wonderful to me, even though it was hot and humid, especially as I was then topless. My already stoked nipples grew even more taut as my heart began to race.

"Feel better?" my grandma asked.

I nodded, even as I felt the heat of utter shame and humiliation overcoming me.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

What make a great erotic story...mmmmm.

First, believable characters. Someone once claimed my male protag in one of my stories was a little over the top.

Second, believable circumstances, unless you're going for mind control or horror or some such category.

Third, believable body parts. Not every man has to have a 12 inch cock that's six inches thick. Nor does a woman have to have the biggest breast in the whole county and the five surrounding states. Truth be told, any more that a handful gets in the way.

Then there is the interaction between the couple or threesome or moresome.

Now the rest should be easy, it's all filler.

 

[ChastitySmith]

My Visit With My Grandparents
Luv2writeerotica

It was hot. So hot. And sticky-humid. Those were my overriding memories on that late Sunday afternoon shortly after my eighteenth birthday. It left me questioning why anybody, anybody at all in their right minds, would even live on the Florida coast.

I was absolutely miserable as I sat on the couch sweating.

"Feels better with the fan," my grandpa offered, patting his lap in an enticing manner.

My eyes looked longingly at the large box fan which was placed on a countertop of an adjoining open-aired kitchen which he was enjoying. It took me a few moments until I relented and sat down on the recliner he sat in on his left side. Due to the heat I was dressed as scantily as I could, in tiny white short-shorts and a thin red blouse tied off that left my flat midriff exposed, the perky, naturally firm swells of my breasts just barely covered behind the thin veil of cotton. Both pink nipples were partially visible.

The breeze offered by the fan felt wonderful and my body immediately relaxed. I was so hot and coated with sweat that it actually chilled me; my nipples grew large and taut, pulsating with every beat of my young heart. I didn't know it at the time but my grandpa noticed and enjoyed the erotic sight. I was innocent at first and didn't understand the shifting hardness that I was sitting on.

"Oh dear, you look so uncomfortable!" my grandma stated when she saw my overheated condition as she brought in a large glass of iced lemonade.

After handing her husband the glass, which he took a deep drink from, she kept looking down at me. "I know you northerners aren't accustomed to the Florida heat. It takes some time to grow on you. Here, let me help you with that," she insisted as she observed my sweaty, reddened face.

I was aghast when her thin fingers reached for my blouse and made quick work of the buttons, then untied the knot at the bottom.

"Don't worry, we're all family here," my grandma insisted when I resisted a few times. "Off with it. You'll be cooler this way."

Then she unplugged the fan, placed it on top of the TV console we were watching, and plugged it back in. The blast of air felt wonderful to me, even though it was hot and humid, especially as I was then topless. My already stoked nipples grew even more taut as my heart began to race.

"Feel better?" my grandma asked.

I nodded, even as I felt the heat of utter shame and humiliation overcoming me.

Wow. I wish you had your settings to accept PMs. I would have rather complimented you privately.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Its a fact I never graduated from Principal Skinners celebrated porn writing academy here at LIT, so I'm doomed, but Lawrence Block published a shitload of porn novels before he switched to noir, and his sex scenes with no sex are better than anything I've read at LIT with oodles of sexual detail. Block knows how to mine sexual encounters for what captures your imagination.

What I especially like is how he manages to expose self righteous Puritans for the sluts they really are.

 

[horrorotica]

Just remember that erotica isn't always about sex. Just writing a sex scene like a porno isn't a story either, nor is that erotica. Erotica is a genre I think many misunderstand to be honest. It's not just about sex, but how sex and sexuality impact on the lives of your characters. It's about how sex and sexuality reveals the plot and the characters.

Erotica traditionally does not aim exclusively at sexual arousal like others have said. The problem with this site is that many authors here confuse pornography with erotica. To me there is a big difference. How you tackle it though is up to you.

 

[DG Hear]

Don't know, I haven't wrote a great story yet. That's why I write for fun. Don't take writing to seriously.

 

[jeninflorida]

Rule #1 ... there r no rules

Just start...write that first word!

 

[LadyVer]

Again, more great comments, especially the positive ones.


Jim, I don't know why you brought Professor Skinner into this. I don't think he's even commented on the thread, unless I missed it somehow. I appreciate Pilot's knowledge. As you know, we don't agree on much, but he does have good knowledge and experience of writing and editing.

 

[oggbashan]

My view is that a 'great erotica story' is a great story in which the erotic component is essential to the plot.

If the story would work without the erotic element, then it fails the definition.

If the erotic parts would work without the rest, again it fails.

What is erotic? That's another and more complex question.

A story can be erotic without in-your-face sex. In-your-face sex can fail to be erotic.

 

[robertreams]

If it makes you hard and keeps you hard (or wet) or both, that's a good erotic story!

The eroticism for me is based on how real the author makes it feel. That is not to say it should be a true story, most of tem are not exciting enouhg. It is theimagination, the details, the true to life or more than true to life that does it for me.